EFFICACY AND PHARMACOKINETICS OF TRICLABENDAZOLE IN BUFFALO WITH INDUCED FASCIOLIASIS

A study was conducted to understand pharmacokinetics and flukicidal ac tivity of intraruminal administration of triclabendazole (TCBZ) at 12. 0, 24.0 and 36.0 mg kg(-1) body weight in experimentally Fasciola giga ntica-infected buffaloes on Week 2 and 10 post-infection. No fluke egg s in faeces and no flukes could be recovered from the liver of buffalo es following intraruminal administration of triclabendazole at 24.0 an d 36.0 mg kg(-1) body weight both on Weeks 2 and 10 post-infection, wh ile the recommended therapeutic dose at 12.0 mg kg(-1) body weight was 19-23% effective. Pharmacokinetic analysis of the data revealed a sig nificantly higher (P < 0.05) concentration maximum of both the metabol ites and area under concentration-time curve of TCBZ-SO2 in animals tr eated at 12.0 mg k(-1) body weight on Week 10 post-infection, whereas a significantly higher area under the concentration-time curve and eli mination half-life of both the metabolites and significantly higher co ncentration maximum and area under the concentration-time curve of bot h the metabolites were observed in animals treated on Week 10 post-inf ection at the dose rates of 24.0 and 36.0 mg kg(-1) body weight, respe ctively. Bioavailability of triclabendazole was more in buffaloes with mature flukes than with immature flukes.